‘Death Rites’ by Sarah Ward

Published by Canelo,
3 October 2024.
ISBN: 978-1-80436678-3 (PB)

‘Death Rites’ is the first novel in a new series from Sarah Ward and features Carla James, a professor of archaeology. Following the distressing death of her husband and still young, she relocates from Oxford to take a post at Jericho, a prestigious college in New England. Almost immediately Carla is asked to attend the site of a murder. Her head of department is married to the local police lieutenant, and the police have made use of the department’s expertise in the past. They hope she can identify some significance in the items that were found scattered around the burnt body (Carla specializes in what she calls the archaeology of emotion). Initially everything appears random, but little by little Carla makes discoveries that lead her to suspect that a number of unsolved (and one apparently solved) murders are linked. Indeed, the reader’s suspicions are aroused in the very first chapter during the description of another killing, in which the dangers of putting too much of oneself on social media are exposed. We know something that the police do not.

Unfortunately for Carla, her suspicions are not welcomed by the local police given their failure, individually and collectively, to solve the cases. Jealousies within both the police and academic departments (and, indeed, between them) add to the air of mistrust that permeates the novel. Carla is not helped by being a recent arrival feeling her way into a new job and culture in what seems to be a fairly parochial community where ranks are readily closed. Her increasing obsession with pursuing leads means that there a lot of ruffled feathers. Other members of her department, including her mentor Erin Collins (the state medical examiner), appear to be generally supportive, but can she trust them? And what about local businessman James Franklin, whose influence extends all across Jericho?

Carla’s investigation increasingly revolves around the potential involvement of witchcraft in various guises. Witch bottles, protective charms, hexafoils, fire scaring away evil and witches’ ladders are amongst the subjects that come under consideration (‘a mishmash of imagery’ as it is described). A missing notebook raises other suspicions. At one point, when Carla seems to be identifying a pattern, she is warned off separately by her head of department and his police lieutenant wife. The reader also knows that the murderer has become aware that Carla is closing in and that she needs to be dealt with. The denouement is convincing.

This is a well-plotted, well-written and enjoyable start to a new series, and one which apparently leaves plenty of scope for further books. Carla’s back story is told in strategically placed snippets which one suspects may be developed. There are also a number of interesting characters and relationships which promise much. After her success in this novel one assumes that Carla will now be accepted more readily by the community – but perhaps that will not be the case. I shall look forward to the next in the series and, if you read this one (as I recommend), I am sure you will too.
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David Whittle

Sarah Ward is the author of four DC Childs novels set in the Derbyshire Peak District where she lives. She is also writes gothic historical thrillers as Rhiannon Ward. The Birthday Girl, is the first book in her new Welsh based series, published 6th April 2023. She has also written Doctor Who audio dramas. Sarah is on Board of the Crime Writers Association and Friends of Buxton Festival, is a member of Crime Cymru, and a Royal Literary Fund fellow at Sheffield University.  

www.crimepieces.com

David Whittle is firstly a musician (he is an organist and was Director of Music at Leicester Grammar School for over 30 years) but has always enjoyed crime fiction. This led him to write a biography of the composer Bruce Montgomery who is better known to lovers of crime fiction as Edmund Crispin, about whom he gives talks now and then. He is currently convenor of the East Midlands Chapter of the Crime Writers’ Association.